Five juveniles have been arrested for a string of assaults at the Durham Woods Apartments in Edison that sparked fears Indian-Americans were being targeted in hate crimes, officials said today.

Some of the victims were initially reluctant to cooperate with police, and the suspects were apprehended in the last two days after five of the victims agreed to work with investigators, Edison Mayor Jun Choi said.

Police said they found no evidence that the attacks were bias crimes or were aimed at Indian-Americans.

Nine Durham Woods residents have been assaulted since June 25, police said. One man had his cell phone stolen; another victim suffered a broken jaw, police said.

Residents were reluctant to report incidents and cooperate with police because of their cultural background, according to police and Choi, who in the last two weeks have held meetings with residents to improve communication.

Four of the suspects are 15; the fifth is 16. Two are charged with assault for an Aug. 8 attack on two men and have been released to their parents, police said.

The other three suspects, who were not actively involved in the attacks, have entered a program for first-time juvenile offenders, authorities said.